Andrea La Valleur-Purvis is a British-American sculptor whose bold abstract metal works transform geometric forms into powerful explorations of human connection and resilience. Her distinctive sculptures, ranging from intimate pedestal pieces to commanding large-scale installations, unite clean lines with vibrant color, creating works that are both visually striking and emotionally resonant.
My sculptural practice centers on curiosity, exploration, and the discoveries that emerge through creating. Through distinctive abstract metal works, I investigate how abstract forms can carry profound human themes, building sculptures that resonate on both visual and emotional levels as explorations of resilience, belonging, and human connection.
Drawing from the methodologies of the Bauhaus movement, I combine geometric shapes with bold color combinations to create works that are both visually striking and emotionally resonant. My practice is deeply informed by mid-century artists including Alexander Calder, Tony Smith, Isamu Noguchi, Louise Nevelson, and Niki de Saint Phalle—artists who understood how abstraction could carry profound meaning.
Growing up in a British-American household across the UK and Germany cultivated my fascination with how cultural boundaries shape identity. This multicultural foundation, combined with extensive travel, has given me a unique lens through which to examine themes of displacement, adaptation, and belonging. These experiences translate into abstract sculptures that speak to our shared human capacity for resilience.
My work transforms unyielding materials into testaments of resilience and belonging—reflecting our capacity to find beauty, play, and energy even in life’s most challenging moments. Through sculpture, I create spaces where viewers can encounter their own stories of connection, movement, and the endless possibility for renewal.
With a formal education in Sculpture, Andrea La Valleur-Purvis holds a BFA in Sculpture from the College of Visual Arts (St. Paul, MN, USA), a post graduate in Innovation and Design Thinking from Emeritus (in collaboration with MIT, Tuck and Columbia Universities) and a number of certificates from IDEO and Sotheby’s Institute of Art.
Her studio practice has been inspired by working artists and teachers who have invested their talent and time to building artists of the future, including Karen Wirth (McKnight Fellow, MCAD, CVA), Sculptor Kurt Dyrhaug (Professor and Distinguished Faculty Research Fellow Lamar University) and under current mentorship by John Nickell, Master Metalsmith and architectural metal fabricator among others.
La Valleur-Purvis’ work is deeply informed by her multicultural upbringing in the UK and Germany by British and American parents. In adulthood, she lived in Spain for 5 years after traveling the world solo for one year in 2015.
Before returning to her passion of making metal sculptures, La Valleur-Purvis held creative roles for visionary tech brands for nearly two decades. In 2023, La Valleur-Purvis released her first series of public art installations for the City of Waco, Texas.
She works from her studio in Waco, Texas.
Group Exhibitions
2025 – “Marfa Invitational Open | Texas”, Marfa, TX
2024 – “Austin Studio Tours, 457, Windsor Park Library, Austin, TX
2024 – “Small Works”, Art Center Waco, TX
2024 – “Museum Day”, Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum, Austin, TX
2024 – Eclipse Shining Shadows, Art Center Waco, Waco, TX
2000 – ”Foot in the Door”, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
1999 – “Senior Show”, Western Gallery, CVA, St.Paul, MN
Public Art
2025 – 2024 Georgetown Public Sculpture Tour, 1st prize award, Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center, Georgetown, TX
2023 – “Luminary Spirit”, Waco, TX
Commissions
2025 – Skyline Ballroom Wall Sculpture, AC Hotel Waco Downtown, Marriott, Waco, TX
2025 – Velocity, Rapoport Academy, Waco, TX
2023-24 – Donor Wall, Startup Waco, Waco, TX
2022 – Entrepreneur Spotlight Display, Startup Waco, Waco, TX
2007 – Seattle Rachel The Pig Sculpture, Rent-a-Box HQ, Bellevue, WA
Awards
2025 – Shortlisted: VAA International Exhibit prize (Top 40 from over 1000 artists)
2024 – Finalist, Geometric Abstractions, 33 Contemporary Gallery, FL
2024 – 2025 Georgetown Public Sculpture Tour, 1st prize award
2023 – Research Grant, Simmons Foundation via Art Center Waco
1995 – Village Scholarship by Duffy Design, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Women & Their Work (Austin)
Texas Society of Sculptors
Visual Arts Association (VAA) (UK)
CodaWorx (USA)
City of San Antonio’s Prequalified Artist List
Cohart News | July 2025 Article Link
Art Collector News | June 2025 Article Link
Glasstire Top Five | May 15, 2025 Article Link
Marfa Invitational Open Press Release | April, 2025 Article Link
Fresh from the studio | Women and Their Work | Jan, 2025 Youtube Link
Georgetown Sculpture Tour 1st Place Award | October, 2024 Article link
Andrea La Valleur-Purvis | Canvas Rebel | July, 2024 Article link
Meet Andrea La Valleur-Purvis | Bold Journey Magazine | February, 2024 Article link
Conversations with Andrea La Valleur-Purvis | VoyageAustin Magazine | February, 2024 Article link
Light and Shadow | Wacoan Magazine | November, 2023 | Editorial by Susan Bean Aycock Article link
Waco Tribune-Herald | September, 2023 Article link
Conversations with Creative Waco | NPR Radio, August, 2023 | Episode link
Waco Business News – Downtown Depot | NPR Radio, August, 2023| Episode link
Waco Tribune-Herald | May 16, 2023 Article link
Waco Tribune-Herald | May 9, 2023 Article link
Waco Tribune-Herald | February, 2023 Article link
